While it is more of a part of the Universal Character, rather than simply the American character, these three pieces all explore mother-daughter relationships. In the painting, a mother is holding a daughter, but no hands or any limbs for that matter are seen holding the child up. Instead, it is the love, a love so strong that it can only be between a mother and her child that holds the two beings together. In The Scarlet Letter, Peril is Hester's sin, but even this is not strong enough to stop Hester from loving and caring for her child. The mother in the poem states how she gave everything she could to her child, did everything she could for her daughter, and only then was it time for Linda to leave. This relationship between mother and daughter, appears to be stronger than any other relationship explored in American Lit this year.
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